


In Our Bedroom After the War

by zagirlfriends



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: F/F, Hurt/Comfort, takes place right after the bedroom scene in Do Not Send Us Astray
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-30
Updated: 2018-03-30
Packaged: 2019-04-14 20:42:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,128
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14144157
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zagirlfriends/pseuds/zagirlfriends
Summary: Tara is pretty sure she's going to die.





	In Our Bedroom After the War

Rick leaves first.

He stops to squeeze Tara's uninjured shoulder on his way, a silent and brief goodbye before he's out the door. He's already lost everything he can bear to lose, but he's still their leader and he still cares, even if he can't feel all of it right now.

Enid and the other women leave next, letting Tara have the large room to herself for the night.

"I'm sorry," the teen say as they hug, but Tara is still insisting that it's okay.

Daryl apologizes again too, for everything; standing by the bed like he doesn't know what to say or do. He looks like maybe he wants to offer to stay with her, but thinks better of it when he notices Rosita is still hovering by the empty crib.

He settles for a hug instead, carefully wrapping a single arm around Tara as she stands to meet him. "I'll make him pay for this."

Tara shakes her head, but doesn't tell him not to; knows she'd just be wasting her breath.

Daryl can't meet her eyes when they pull apart and can only stand to stick around for a few moments longer before he can't anymore, following the others out of the room to help salvage what they can of the mess the Saviors have left them with.

Rosita moves to close the door once everyone else is gone, while Tara watches her from where she's resettling back on the edge of the bed.

"You're staying?" she asks curiously, sounding relieved but not entirely surprised.

"Someone should be here," Rosita points out, fingering the brim of her cap before she takes it off. "In case you…" She doesn't finish that sentence, and she hardly needs to; they both know the end of it. "And if you do, it should be someone who, you know-"

"It should be you," Tara finishes for her, offering her friend a small but grateful smile as she cautiously shimmies herself further onto the bed to sit more comfortably.

Rosita perches herself on the edge of it, hands nervous but busy with her hat as she tries to find something to say. What _can_ she say, when they both know why she's here?

"How are you doing?" she eventually asks, voice strained and hesitant as she watches the other woman closely for any sign of distress. "Really."

Tara keeps saying she's fine, but it's hard to believe that's the truth; it's one thing to go into battle ready to die - they all do that, everyday now, it seems - but it's another thing to sit around and wait for it.

Tara gives a little shrug, mindful of the arm she's still cradling. "It sucks, but it's my own fault," she answers like it's nothing, still playing it off. Tara's quiet for a moment as she thinks, head bowed and then shaking. "What I almost did to Dwight-"

"Would've been his own fault, too," Rosita cuts in before Tara can finish. She trusts that Dwight was on their side - maybe even still is - but that doesn't erase what he did, or who he took from them. If there really is such a thing as karma, it's gotta just be some big vicious circle at this point. "We all make our choices, Tara, and we either live with the consequences, or we don't."

Tara concedes her point with a tight smile, lifting her shoulder just slightly to draw Rosita's attention to it. "Guess we already know which is gonna happen to me, huh?"

"You were grieving, we all do stupid shit when we're grieving." Rosita knows that better than anyone. "Doesn't mean you deserve to die for it."

And Rosita's not even all that convinced that she will.

She saw Dwight draw those Saviors away from Tara in the woods, and from the way Daryl tells it, it sounds like he shot first last night so Simon wouldn't; and he shot to injure, not kill.

The Saviors' weapons were tainted with walker blood, yeah, but Rosita's not even sure Dwight's really a Savior anymore, so.

She keeps that theory to herself for now, though; sometimes hope is as big of a bitch as karma supposedly is, and they'll know soon enough, anyways - one way or another.

"It is what it is," Tara says after a moment, and the more she plays it off, the more Rosita thinks maybe she really has made peace with it; maybe she needs to think this is fair to be able to do that. "And I'm so _tired_. You know?"

Rosita does know, doesn't even remember what it feels like not to be tired anymore.

"Then sleep," she tells her softly, meaningfully, as she gets off the bed so she can help Tara get under the covers.

Once she's settled in, Rosita leans over her to rearrange the collection of pillows behind her friend, hoping to make it as comfortable as possible for her.

That's when Tara brings a hand up to her cheek, cupping her face gently and keeping her still. Her eyes flicker down to her lips and she waits just long enough so that Rosita knows what she's about to do before she does it; giving her the time she needs to pull away if she wants to.

The kiss is soft and innocent, just a simple press of the lips, but it lasts long enough for Tara to get what she needs.

She's smiling softly when she slowly pulls back, and her eyes are still shut tightly.

"What was that for?" Rosita asks quietly, watching Tara's face with a small smile of her own.

Tara's eyes flutter open, and her cheeks might look a little flushed if it wasn't so dark. "Always wanted to," she admits, though it's hardly a secret. "If this shot is gonna kill me, figured I'd better take mine while I can."

"And if it doesn't kill you?" Rosita can't help but wonder, just like she can't help but hope.

"Then I guess I'll just die from awkwardness tomorrow instead."

It's not enough to get an actual laugh out of Rosita, considering everything, so Tara will just have to settle for another kiss; this one a little longer and a bit more sure.

"So you won't have to feel as awkward," is the explanation Rosita gives her when she pulls back and is met with questioning eyes.

That's a good enough reason for Tara, and it even makes her _believe_ just a little bit, too.

The next kiss Rosita gives her is on the forehead, then she moves around to climb up on the bed and settle in at her side.

Rosita watches over her as she sleeps, and she's still there with her the next morning, when Tara wakes up.

**Author's Note:**

> This was half inspired by a tweet I saw and half inspired by the fact that I _know_ the only way this show would ever even consider letting these two kiss would be right before one or both of them died. So, a compromise.
> 
> Would really love to hear what you thought. Thanks for reading!


End file.
